After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"How can you be so sure Li Liang will come here? And that he'll fall into your ambush?"

Zhu Cuiwei leaned against a tall camphor tree and frowned.

This is a mountain ridge deep in the back mountains of Lijia Village, about ten miles away from Li Yanting's house.

If Wang Fu says that the woman isn't there, Li Liang will believe him and obediently walk into the ambush.

Zhu Cuiwei believed that if it were her, she would definitely not believe it, or at least be suspicious. She would at least beat up the peddler to test the waters. Who knows, once she took action, the peddler would confess honestly.

The bandits were very powerful, and she didn't think that Ning Nan's threats would actually scare the peddler into obediently cooperating. No matter how fierce you are, can you be more fierce than the bandits?

Besides, it wasn't fierce. If it were Master Lu, he would at least peel off one of the enemy's fingernails first. The ten fingers are connected to the heart. How can they confess without experiencing that kind of pain? And how can we believe what they confess?

She couldn't understand where the man, who was only three feet away from her, got his confidence. He was so sure that the peddler Wang Fu would lead the other man here and had even carefully laid an ambush beforehand, as if Li Liang were a fool who would definitely fall for his trick... Zhu Cuiwei's eyebrows furrowed more and more tightly.

The moonlight shone down, covering the entire forest with a thin layer of silver powder, like a shield against the darkness.

Ning Nan squatted behind a tall camphor tree.

His eyes were fixed on an open area below the hill, about a hundred paces away.

He brandished the sharp knife wrapped in black cloth in his hand. "Want to make a bet?"

"bet?"

"Chicken out? Don't dare?"

"The bet." Zhu Cuiwei slightly raised her chin, her tone indifferent.

Her fair and slender neck was revealed under the moonlight, and her posture appeared very elegant and noble.

"If you lose, you have to go home and cook me a meal. I'll order... Just so you know, you can spit, but you can't poison me."

Can I spit? ... The woman's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, her eyelashes curling slightly as if drawn by an artist, the lines appearing both natural and lively.

"What if you lose?"

Ning Nan shrugged: "Do as you please."

"If you lose, you'll have to recite three more of the poems you gave me last night."

"Three?" Ning Nan stared wide-eyed, his voice startling several birds in the woods.

"Hmm! Got scared?"

"Ha, fine, let's bet then." Ning Nan snorted. "It's just getting that bald-headed monk to write a few more poems!"

The bald-headed monk... Zhu Cuiwei's lips curved slightly.

"Butterfly Yearning for Flowers... I stand leaning against the high tower, the wind is gentle... My clothes grow looser, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her."

She silently recited the poem he had given her yesterday... Hmm, so-so, I memorized it after reading it once.

She had grown thin for him... She inexplicably recalled the man standing by her window last night, looking lost and dejected, saying he needed to "get rid of the musty smell." Her lips pursed. He had indeed lost a lot of weight last night compared to a few days ago... She just didn't know which "her" he was losing weight for!

"Can you tell me the reason now?" Zhu Cuiwei asked, her tone suddenly turning unfriendly.

Ning Nan shook his head, his face enigmatic: "I have my own brilliant plan."

He would rather die than tell anyone. If I asked that peddler to tell Li Liang that Miss Zhu and I came here for an affair, wouldn't Cui Cui, who knows martial arts, explode?!

This involves the reputation of both myself and Miss Zhu.

He deliberately sent Sanzhuang and the others out, and spoke to the peddler Wang Fu alone, instructing him not to say a word.

There was nothing he could do.

To ensure a foolproof way to quickly lure Li Liang over, there was no other option but to sacrifice one's own reputation.

An affair... Not to mention that Miss Zhu is exactly the person Li Liang's stronghold wants, even a complete stranger would want to go and see if they heard about such a spectacle.

Especially for someone like Li Liang who hates him, hearing this news must be more painful than eating shit.

"That's exactly what I want—for you to suffer."

Ning Nan's gaze was focused and steady.

Just in case, we specially arranged for Miss Zhu to sleep at Yang Qiniang's house tonight. The bookworm has been sleeping at the village head's house lately, so even though Li Liang and the others went to Li Yanting's house to check first, they found no one there.

Miss Zhu was naturally unwilling and did not understand.

But after he suggested making her a new dish the next day, he nodded his chin.

Xing Ge'er was also arranged to stay at Yang Qiniang's house, where he was put in charge of the main room.

This is also to protect Li Xing, as it's too dangerous here.

Behind Yang Qiniang's house is the main house in the field. As soon as you call out, the villagers will immediately get moving.

But at that time, casualties would likely be hard to avoid.

The two bandits Li Liang brought were both ruthless thugs. In their dying moments, they would surely take several lives from Li Family Village.

The best approach is to outsmart the opponent.

The moon climbed over the mountain pass, its light repeatedly obscured by the clouds in the sky.

A rustling sound came from the south.

Zhu Cuiwei turned her head instantly.

A single lamp flickered dimly.

Someone carrying a lantern is walking over from the Li Family Village!

"They actually came!" Zhu Cuiwei held her breath, a little surprised, but more puzzled.

Why?

Why did that peddler actually lure Li Liang over?!

Zhu Cuiwei glanced at the man not far from her with her bright eyes, her eyes full of doubt.

The man in front of me had his hands on the ground, his back arched, his eyes fixed forward, and he remained motionless, like a tiger descending from the mountain, eyeing its prey!

They were on higher ground, about a hundred paces away from the two of them, in a relatively open area. That was the hunting ground the tiger had set. Everything was ready, and the tiger, with several wolves, was waiting for its prey to take the bait.

The sounds of insects chirping and frogs croaking, along with footsteps and the crunching of broken branches, mingled together in the still night.

"Wait!"

When they reached an open area, Li Liang raised his hand and called out.

The peddler Wang Fu's hand trembled, and the lantern he was carrying paused due to inertia, swaying back and forth, casting fragmented shadows on the ground with its dim yellow light.

Xu Jun, one of the "Red Gang" members, impatiently chopped off a tree branch with his axe and said coldly, "Chief Li, is this peddler leading me around, or are you the one leading me around?!"

Another thug, Zhang Cheng, wielding a harpoon, spat on the ground and chimed in, "Damn it, are we still going to do it tonight or not?! Wait, wait what?"

He was attacked by two bastards.

Li Liang suddenly felt a little insecure, his face was somewhat embarrassed, and his legs were trembling a bit, but as long as he thought of himself as Guan Yu, the leader of the gang, his empty hands seemed to be wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Their momentum immediately returned.

He pointed about five steps ahead.

Silver light poured down from the sky, shimmering and glowing in the open space ahead, like a clear spring suddenly emerging from the forest, with many leaves still clinging to it.

"Brother Xu, Brother Zhang, look," Li Liang confidently pointed to the leaves in front of him, "I'm sure there's a trap planted by that demon Ning hidden inside these leaves!"

He knows these leaves very well!

The scar on my right foot is still visible from that night when I fell into Ning the Demon King's trap.

"You mean, that guy surnamed Ning is up ahead?" Xu Jun asked, frowning.

"good."

Li Liang nodded.

"Wang Fu watched as Ning, the demon, entered the bamboo forest with his young mistress, and then came to the back mountain. We followed their footprints the whole way here."

After carefully examining both the large and small footprints, it was confirmed to be the footprints of a man and a woman. A handkerchief was also found in the middle, and it smelled nice.

"This must be where Ning the Demon Lord had his affair with that woman, which is why this wolf cub resorted to such a despicable trick!" Li Liang concluded, tilting his head back.

"you!"

Zhang Cheng pointed the harpoon at Wang Fu and said, "Go, go, go take a look."